ItchyFeet76 Posted November 18, 2013 Share Posted November 18, 2013 I've just been looking at the cost of school uniforms in Oz and - despite having known they were pricier than the UK - cannot BELIEVE the prices! So we've decided that, since all schools have black / grey trousers for boys and black / grey skirts for girls as part of the generic uniform, we'll buy a bulkload from Asda or somewhere and stick them in one of the Move Cubes we plan on getting (or it may even be cheaper to fill up a whole suitcase and pay excess baggage on the flight?!). Obviously we can't buy the gingham dresses or polo shirts as not sure what colour they'll be until we move over and find a school (I assume all schools have different colours?), but I'm also guessing the sportswear is generic (e.g. black tracksuits / shorts / swimwear, plimsolls / trainers) so this can also be brought with us. I accept that, unfortunately, we will have to pay top dollar for sweaters with the school's logo on though (don't want our kids to stand out and get picked on for not blending in). Or perhaps we'll be able to get these second-hand somewhere... Just wondered if anyone else has decided to bring cheap uniforms from the UK, too...? I-F :biggrin: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted November 18, 2013 Share Posted November 18, 2013 Unless you are sure of the school your children will be going be careful ,,, The local schools around here have either Navy or Green skirt / shorts. Shops like Big W and Best N less sell generic school uniforms for similar prices to what i recall Asda did anyway. Cal x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eera Posted November 18, 2013 Share Posted November 18, 2013 Unfortunately a lot of schools have logos on everything, even my sports gear was school-specific. You can get barely worn gear secondhand from most schools, and you'll also find a lot of parents advertise nearly-new in local pocket trader magazines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali Posted November 18, 2013 Share Posted November 18, 2013 As Cal says do be careful .. our primary school has navy blue shorts and skirts - to be honest I don't think I've seen any grey (but that's where I live) in places like Big W. Some primary schools don't get changed for PE, High School tend to have a different kit for sports. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skani Posted November 18, 2013 Share Posted November 18, 2013 since all schools have black / grey trousers for boys and black / grey skirts for girls as part of the generic uniform,.............. but I'm also guessing the sportswear is generic (e.g. black tracksuits / shorts / swimwear, plimsolls / trainers) so this can also be brought with us. ......... Or perhaps we'll be able to get these second-hand somewhere... I'd be wary of the assumptions you are making...unless you have specifically checked out all the potential schools for your children. For example, I can't think of one school in this city which has black/grey skirts for girls, nor one school which has generic black sportswear. I can't vouch for the entire country but every school I have been involved with has had a second hand uniform shop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fensaddler Posted November 18, 2013 Share Posted November 18, 2013 This is where you just need to adapt and accept that Australia is not the UK - let go, don't try and bring the UK with you, and pick up the threads here. As others have said, the generic stuff you can get cheaply anywhere, but the unique stuff, which most schools have, is limited in supply and expensive. It is at least good quality. And don't assume the sports gear is generic either... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Que Sera Sera Posted November 18, 2013 Share Posted November 18, 2013 Some schools accept trainers some require proper shoes. I prefer to have my sons feet measured and fitted properly and just accept its a costly exercise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 18, 2013 Share Posted November 18, 2013 Agree with others, be careful about the trousers and shorts thing from Asda. I think you'll be throwing money away doing that tbh. My son was fine in those sorts of things with his UK uniform as everyone wore them but his school shorts here in Aus are either a brigher blue in a sort of jersey material or a grey pair but nothing like our more formal grey UK shorts. They are far more casual and not so office grey looking. His school are fine with us buying the generic yellow or blue polo shirts (found there is only a couple of dollars difference in price though) but they do have to be pretty much the same colour as the official logo tops. And they sell second hand so we bought a sweater for $2. It would have been pointless for me to buy more grey/black school trousers and shorts in the UK to use here as they are not even close to his Aus uniform. He'd have stood out like a sore thumb and looked really over dressed. The one thing I won't budge on atm though is his school shoes. Kids wear just about any kind of trainer going and I hate that for school wear. He has a pair of black trainer style shoes and a fair few kids wear these so he is fine, but most wear bright high top trainers or some such. They also wear whatever colour socks they want too but I stick him in grey or black mostly as I have heaps. Also a lot of the girls wear the girls school skorts or blue shorts are my sons school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Team Edwards Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 I too was shocked when we arrived at the cost of uniform! That said, my daughter has logo tops for both everyday uniform and sports. Other than that, they ask that they wear black culottes/skits/shorts. So I put in a huge order for M&S (with free delivery), I have enough for this year and next!!!! Much cheaper and much better quality and washes so much better - good old M&S! Might be an idea to wait until you are out here and then order. Would be a nightmare to bring loads of stuff over and it be a waste of money.... Good luck! I've just been looking at the cost of school uniforms in Oz and - despite having known they were pricier than the UK - cannot BELIEVE the prices! So we've decided that, since all schools have black / grey trousers for boys and black / grey skirts for girls as part of the generic uniform, we'll buy a bulkload from Asda or somewhere and stick them in one of the Move Cubes we plan on getting (or it may even be cheaper to fill up a whole suitcase and pay excess baggage on the flight?!). Obviously we can't buy the gingham dresses or polo shirts as not sure what colour they'll be until we move over and find a school (I assume all schools have different colours?), but I'm also guessing the sportswear is generic (e.g. black tracksuits / shorts / swimwear, plimsolls / trainers) so this can also be brought with us. I accept that, unfortunately, we will have to pay top dollar for sweaters with the school's logo on though (don't want our kids to stand out and get picked on for not blending in). Or perhaps we'll be able to get these second-hand somewhere... Just wondered if anyone else has decided to bring cheap uniforms from the UK, too...? I-F :biggrin: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johndoe Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 i don't know of any schools in my area that allow black trousers and only one that stipulate grey. As others have said, I think you need to bite the bullet until you get here. schools try hard not to match each other's clothing which is why logos are often incorporated where schools have similar colours. Some schools even have logos on trousers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 Agree with the others - don't bother! Mine went to a school where the uniform was khaki so you never can tell! Just suck it up when you arrive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LKC Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 All of our local schools are different too. Our girls school has a green/white checked shorts & top or dress for the girls in summer, and bottle green trousers with a lemon shirt or a bottle green plaid dress with lemon shirt for the winter, and the boys wear grey trousers/shorts and a polo shirt. Sports uniform is bottle green bottoms (skort or jogging bottoms) and then a T-shirt in the colour of the house they are in. Other schools in the area have blue bottoms, black bottoms, and there is even one school in the suburb which has a brown uniform. You would probably be better off just buying it second hand when you get here. To be honest, although the uniforms are expensive, they do get lots of wear, so to my mind they are worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Que Sera Sera Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 You don't need as many sets either. Washing dries much faster so a couple of polos a couple of shorts a fleece and your done . Unless they are at Private school then it's mortgage territory but hey ho there's a price for living in paradise :wink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GilraenH Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 Yes and schools also do second hands uniforms for a lot less. I can buy blue shirts and shorts from M&S for my youngest but only white shirt for my eldest. He wears khaki trousers/ shorts and the pe uniform is school specific. But they tend to alternate days wearing them (1 day pie next day normal uniform) and one set does with drying over night always possible here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sammy1 Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 (edited) I've just been looking at the cost of school uniforms in Oz and - despite having known they were pricier than the UK - cannot BELIEVE the prices! So we've decided that, since all schools have black / grey trousers for boys and black / grey skirts for girls as part of the generic uniform, we'll buy a bulkload from Asda or somewhere and stick them in one of the Move Cubes we plan on getting (or it may even be cheaper to fill up a whole suitcase and pay excess baggage on the flight?!). Obviously we can't buy the gingham dresses or polo shirts as not sure what colour they'll be until we move over and find a school (I assume all schools have different colours?), but I'm also guessing the sportswear is generic (e.g. black tracksuits / shorts / swimwear, plimsolls / trainers) so this can also be brought with us. I accept that, unfortunately, we will have to pay top dollar for sweaters with the school's logo on though (don't want our kids to stand out and get picked on for not blending in). Or perhaps we'll be able to get these second-hand somewhere... Just wondered if anyone else has decided to bring cheap uniforms from the UK, too...? I-F :biggrin: Not the smartest idea. The schools my children go to have navy blue shorts. Their last school had....navy blue shorts. The school I used to work at had a khaki uniform and so on.....Have not yet seen a school with grey skirts. The girls here tend to wear shorts. However, a lot of the schools still have the basic red,green or yellow polo shirts with the school logo on. If you really want to be a cheapskate (or if you are on a low wage), then got to K-Mart of Target once you find out the colour of the uniform and get your polo shirts from there - minus the logo. Most schools have a second hand shop, which is great, and the kids don't stand out as not having the correct shirts. To me, your post sounds like you are thinking in UK terms, rather than Australian. Edited November 19, 2013 by Sammy1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa Loates Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 Hi, we arrived in August and it seems that schools have one stockist and a second hand uniform shop on site, our school has plaid winter trousers and logos on both everyday and sports polo shirts, hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SGHJLL Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 Hiya, we brought over gingham dresses for our girls at £2 a shot on offer at asda and was very pleased that we did as they are between $29 and $49 here. The girls sweatshirt material cardigans are $42. You can usually get Marks & Spencer stuff delivered free to Aus which is handy. The school that our girls go to are really slack with uniform and they seem to just wear navy lightweight sports shorts, logo t-shirt and trainers (runners) although they have a lot of freedom with choice as they can wear pretty much anything as long as it is navy. I would say if you have a shipment coming over fill it with cheap uniform and definitely clarks trainers when they are on offer (we brought over about 20 pairs!). If you are just bringing suitcases then just bring the trainers! Target has uniform quite cheap - $9 a sweatshirt and we got some great quality secondhand logo tops from the local charity shop (opp shop) for $3 each. In fact I buy most of my stuff from the opp shops, they are great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ItchyFeet76 Posted November 19, 2013 Author Share Posted November 19, 2013 Wow, I didn't expect quite so many replies quite so soon! We're not trying to bring the UK with us - just clothes at UK prices! I agree it would be a waste of money / space if we bring over the wrong colours, but I've looked at 3 schools in Melbourne and, from what I can see (looking at the 'gallery' on their websites) they wear black / grey trousers / skorts / skirts, etc. but they all have different-coloured logo tops / cardies. So I accept we'll have to pay the prices for the latter, but I also looked on Gumtree at second-hand school uniforms and found one for $100 - which I didn't consider much of a bargain, to be honest! We'll definitely heed your warnings about the colours (hopefully we'll narrow down our rental area and look at 3 or 4 local schools to see what they're wearing, and if most tend to have generic uniforms then we'll take our chances, but if not then it's second-hand all the way.... we just don't want to assume we can get them used as otherwise we haven't budgeted for it), but we'll definitely bring over a whole heap of cheap shoes from Brantano / Asda. I get my kids' feet measured regularly and then go upstairs and pick out the right size ;-) We'll possibly also bring over rucksacks (with lunchboxes / bottles in) and they can go in the kids' hand luggage to save space. These can then be used for school. I've looked at Big W and yes, their clearance prices are cheap but, again, I can't rely on the assumption that there'll be a sale on when we need to make our purchases, and we can ill afford to under-budget. Thanks for the info though guys :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caramac Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 I think you're being really sensible if you know which school they're going to. I used to buy clothes for our lot whenever we were in the UK and it was sale time. They would wear them, then I took them to a children's second hand clothes shop. I always got more for them than I'd paid. The owner said she used to come over to buy clothes here too as the Australians (Perth) loved them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hogan Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 Hi, just a thought for you that my sons NEVER wear trousers anymore and the kids like to fit in with others,even in winter they wear their shorts and a jumper, once you start earning the aussie dollar you will find things are not that expensive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 My kids were concerned about not standing out initially and wanted to look the same as everyone else, do bear in mind that the material used here for shorts won't be like the UK (due to the difference in weather). I you know which school they're going to then you haven't lost anything I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina2 Posted November 20, 2013 Share Posted November 20, 2013 You firstly must put wages in to perspective with the cost of anything in Oz compared to the UK. Wages are higher so is food, uniforms ect. MANY school have strict uniform policy to the point each item has a school logo on it which can only be bought from the school uniform shop. The profit from the sale of these uniform items is what provides the school with the extra money they need for "extras" for the school like sports equipment, even basket ball courts. The other issue you may have depending on where you chose to live is the "weight" of the clothing from the UK. It is far hotter here in Oz and so uniforms are made to accomadate that. Light weight, high UV protection. As others have said just about all schools have second hand uniform shops where you can buy some good quality items to get you started. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolvesaussie Posted November 20, 2013 Share Posted November 20, 2013 (edited) If its a girl you can just buy her one in year 7 then as long as she doesnt put on weight shes good to go then for the next 5 years... I swear that must be what happens judging buy how short some of the girls dresses at the railway station in the morning Edited November 20, 2013 by wolvesaussie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali Posted November 20, 2013 Share Posted November 20, 2013 In fairness, before we moved my daughter started HS in the UK 3 months and every single item of clothing had a school logo and could only be bought from one supplier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NicF Posted November 20, 2013 Share Posted November 20, 2013 I brought all my kids school trousers with us (bought from Asda) as the school they were going to go to had the same colour trousers. They haven't worn any of them. They were way too formal compared with what everyone else was wearing and the school don't have a separate PE kit so they had to be able to do PE in what they wore to school. They did wear track pants for the first few months we were here (we arrived in July last year) but then switched to shorts and haven't worn long trousers for school since. If your kids are primary school age I wouldn't bother buying school trousers unless the school they will be going to has a very strict uniform policy - most primary uniforms seem fairly relaxed and casual here. On the other hand senior schools tend to have more formal uniforms and stuff from the UK would be very handy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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